Two childhood friends, Hemant Sharma (33) and Rohit Kashyap (31), who were the sole breadwinners for their families, died in a road accident on Friday night while returning from an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Delhi. The duo had spent years playing cricket together every weekend, a bond that evolved into an annual tradition of watching an IPL match each season.
The Accident
On Friday, along with two friends from Noida, they booked tickets for the Delhi Capitals versus Kolkata Knight Riders match at Arun Jaitley Stadium. After the match, while returning home on a motorcycle, they were allegedly hit by a car from behind in northeast Delhi's Khajuri Khas area. Both died on the spot.
Last Moments
Hemant Sharma's brother-in-law, Ved Prakash, said, "Bunty (Sharma) video-called me from outside the stadium around 10pm after the match and said they had a lot of fun. None of us knew it would be the last time we would hear his voice."
Victims' Background
Sharma worked as a contractual personal assistant to a customs officer at Udyog Bhavan. He leaves behind his wife Aarti, nine-year-old son Gauransh, seven-month-old Sharvansh, and elderly parents. His brother, Harkesh, said, "He had only recently become a dad for the second time. How can I explain to those young boys that their father is gone?"
Kashyap worked at a travel agency and cared for his father, who had suffered a paralytic seizure three years ago and was only recently recovering. He is survived by his wife Preeti, sons Naksh (5) and Daksh (2), and 77-year-old father Shiv Prakash. The family had recently enrolled Daksh in school and was preparing to celebrate his third birthday on May 13 with a dinner outing. His younger brother Guddu recalled, "They had invited all the relatives and were excitedly discussing restaurant options. Everything was planned."
Unbroken Bond
Both friends had spent their entire lives in the narrow lanes of Karawal Nagar, though their roots lay in Uttar Pradesh—Kashyap's family from Etawah and Sharma's from Bulandshahr. Family members said the two were inseparable and rarely went anywhere without each other. From their shared love for cricket and loyalty to their home team to the responsibilities of fatherhood, they had stood by each other through every phase of life, a bond that remained unbroken even in death.
